Plumber&#39;s snake device



Sept. 21, 1965 J. H. LARSEN 3,205,782 l PLUMBERS SNAKE DEVICE FiledApril 27, 1964 ZZ ZZ 2 53 United States Patent O 3,206,782 PLUMEERSSNAKE DEVICE John H. Larsen, 8800'1Dalcn St., Downey, Calif. Filed Apr.27, 1964, Ser. No. 362,684 7 Claims. (Cl. 15-104.3)

This invention relates to a plumbers snake device of the type that ispower driven.

Known devices of this type feed and withdraw the flexible pipe-cleaningsnake by means of a reversing motor. To stop the feed of such priordevices, it is necessary to cut the motor circuit or otherwise free thesnake to stop its rotation and/or feed movement.

The present invention has for an object to provide a plumbers snake thatis both simpler in construction and operation than prior devices in thatreversing motors are not required nor are clutches and other suchexpensive devices needed, the invention contemplating a device that usesan ordinary unidirectional motor and provides the operator with a simplecontroller to effect change between feed and retraction while the motoris operating.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plumbers snake, as abovecharacterized that, by means of the mentioned controller, can stop feedor retraction movement while the motor is operating.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plumbers snake of thecharacter referred to that automatically stops feed or retractivemovement, as the case may be, when the same encounters either anabnormal obstruction, when feeding, or a fixed stop, when retractmg.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The foregoing objects are realized in a snake construction that uses auni-directional motor that rotates the pipe-cleaning snake and is heldby one hand by means of a pistol grip which has a trigger to open andclose the motor circuit. An extension is provided to guide the snake,the same being provided with a gear train that is driven by the motor asthe latter rotates the snake. A controller is carried by said extension,the same, under control of the operators other hand, being selectivelymovable to one of three positions to allow snake rotation without feedor retraction, and either feed or retraction, as desired. The device ishandled much in the manner of a tommy gun with all the controladvantages afforded by such a two-handed device.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description and which is based on theaccompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and thefollowing description merely describes, one ernbodiment of the presentinvention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a plumbers snake device embodying apreferred form of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the present feed and retractionmeans shown in neutral or non-feeding position.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the means shown in FIG. 2 andshown in snake-feeding position.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of said feed and retraction meansshown in snake-retracting position.

FIG. l shows a motor 5 provided with a piston grip 3,206,782 Patentedsept. 21, 1965 6 which has a trigger 7 that controls operation of themotor. A housing 8 is mounted on the motor for housing the coiled-upportion of a snake 9 at the end of which is provided a cutter tool 10designed to cut through vegetation, roots, and other material that mayclog pipes, particularly, sub-soil plumbing. The above is generallytypical of one form of plumbers snake, the motor 5 rotating the snake 9and the housing 8, the latter including means for forming convolutionsof the snake within the housing for storing the retracted portion of thesnake. The present invention is not concerned per se with theabove-described components 5 to 8 except that the grip 6 affords onemeans of support for the device and the motor 5 provides a source ofpower for rotating the snake 9 and driving the present improved means 11for feeding or retracting said snake, as desired.

The present snake-controlling means 11 comprises, generally, a frame 12that fixedly extends from the housing of the motor 5 forwardly from therotatable housing 8, a controller 13 carried by the frame 12 to drivethe snake 9 in a feed or a retractive direction, selectively, the sameincluding a handle 14 that, together with the piston grip 6, providesthe operator with means to direct the present device and hold the samein operative position during feed or retraction of the snake, means 15,driven by the motor 5, to drive the controller, and detent means 16 toreleasably retain the controller in feed, retraction or neutralpositions, as desired.

The frame 12 is shown as having an inner end 20 that is xedly connectedby a sleeve 21 t0 the motor 5, an outer end 22, and side walls 23 thatconnect said ends 20 and 22. A filler piece 24 outward of the end 20 andsaid end 22 define between them a space 25 in which the controller 13 isdisposed and is operably movable. The end 22'and the ller piece 24 areprovided with aligned bores 26 through which the snake 9 extends and inwhich said snake is both freely rotational and longitudinally movable.Said bores may be bushed, if desired.

The controller 13 is shown as a body 27 mounted on a pivot 27a in theside walls 23 of the frame 12 and is movable on said pivot in a planethrough which the axis of the snake extends, and a pair of similar drivewheels 28 and 29, disposed in said plane and mounted in the body 27 onpivots 30. Said pivots 30 are so spaced on each side of the pivot 27a,and the diameters of the wheels 28 and 29 are so proportioned to saidspace that, with the body 27 in the position of FIG. 1 wherein the sameextends perpendicularly to the axis of the snake 9, the

wheels 28 and 29 are spaced from said snake. As seen best in FIG. 3, thebody 27 is formed with a passage 31 through which the snake extends andrecesses 32 in which the wheels 2S and 29 are accommodated.

The snake 9 is shown as having an outer helical sheath formed of aclose-wound coil of round wire. The wheels 28 and 29 are each formedwith a transversely and concavely curved outer wall in whichcircumferentially arranged seats 33 are provided, the same interttingwith the convolutions or coils of the snake to effect, when the body 27is moved on its pivot 27a, in one direction or the other, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, feed or retractive movement of the snake.

The wheels 28 and 29 are formed with anges 34 provided with gear teeththat are in mesh with each other. Hence drive of one wheel will causedrive of the other. As shown best in FIG. 3, said wheels engage oppositesides of the snake, one wheel being forward of the other, i.e., the twowheels, when in snake-driving position (FIGS. 3 and 4) are not directlyopposite each other, nor do they engage directly opposite portions ofthe snake. The engagement with the snake is made with longitudinallyspaced portions of said snake, as can be seen.

The drive means is shown as a bevel gear 35 that is coaxial with andwithin the sleeve 21 and driven by the motor 5, a bevel gear 36 drivenby the gear 3S, a reducing gear train 37 drievn by the gear 36, and apinion gear 38 at the end of said gear train. The latter is disposed inthe plane of the gear anges 34 of wheels 28, is out of mesh with saidanges when the controller is in the neutral position of FIG. l, and isin mesh with one or the other ange 34 according to the direction of tilton the pivot 30 of the controller. Thus, when the body 27 is tilted tothe position of FIG. 3, the pinion 38 is in mesh with the gear flange ofwheel 29 on one side of the snake and, when the body 27 is tilted to theposition of FIG. 4, the pinion 38 is in mesh with the gear ange of wheel28 on the opposite side of the snake. Thus, as indicated by the arrowsof rotation of the wheels 28 and 29, the same driving the snake 9 inopposite directions depending on the position to which the controller ismoved by its handle.

In the present case, the gear train 37 is arranged to cause rotation ofthe pinion gear 38 in a direction that will rotate the wheel 29 in afeed direction when the gear ange thereof is in mesh with said piniongear. The wheel 28 will, therefore, be in a forward position along thesnake 9 and the wheel 29 in a rearward position, as shown in FIG. 3. Asa consequence, should the cutter tool meet an obstruction greater thanmay ordinarily be expected, the forward progress of the driven snakewill be arrested. This will cause the snake to buckle or bend in thepipe it is cleaning, as well as in the portion between the bores 26. Thebuckled snake will act on the forward driving wheel 28, forcing the samein a rearward direction and the controller from its feed position to theneutral position of FIG. 1 where the drive on the snake is released. Theoperator will feel this buckling action and will be aware of the needfor such action on the controller as will save the snake and its toolfrom damage or damage of the pipe being cleaned.

The detent means 16 is provided for the two-fold purpose of retainingthe controller in set position and enabling the controller to return tothe neutral position when the snake is subject to a resistance that willbuckle it as above indicated. Said means 16 is shown as a spring biaseddetent element 39 on the frame 12 and a set of three seats 40 in thecontroller body 27 selectively engaged by said element to releasablyhold the controller in set position.

It will be understood that the snake 9 rotates all the time that themotor is operating and that the drive engagement of the wheels 28 and 29therewith is only for causing longitudinal movement of the snake.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is nowcontemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, theconstruction is, Iof course, subject to modification without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desiredto restrict the invention to the particular form of constructionillustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a plumbers snake device having a motor to rotate the flexiblesnake element thereof and with a pistol grip to hold one end ofthedevice,

(a) an extension frame fixedly carried by said motor,

(b) a controller adjustably pivotally carried by said frame with apassage through which the snake element extends,

(c) a pair of drive wheels carried by the controller on opposite sidesof the snake element, said drive wheels being geared to rotate together,and

(d) a gear train driven by said motor and terminating in a pinion gearthat has a geared connection with one or the other of said drive wheelsacCOrding to the adjusted angle of the controller, said drive wheelmoving the snake element in a feed or retractive direction according towhich drive wheel is driven by said pinion gear.

2. In a plumbers snake device according to claim 1, in which the drivewheels are disposed equidistant from the pivot of the controller, andone of said wheels being longitudinally from the other when thecontroller is adjusted to an angle at which both wheels are engaged withthe snake element to drive the same.

3. In a plumbers snake device according to claim 1, the controller beingprovided with a handle for manual control of adjustment of thecontroller, said handle and the mentioned pistol grip combining tocomprise means whereby the device is manipulated during operationthereof.

4. In a plumbers snake device provided with a rotational, exible snakeelement,

(a) a driven gear train terminating in a pinion gear disposed alongsidesaid element,

(b) a controller housing mounted on a pivot to be manually movable in aplane parallel to the snake element, said housing having a passagethrough which the snake element extends, and

(c) a pair -of drive wheels on axes on opposite sides of the snakeelement, each wheel having a gear flange and said anges being in mesh sosaid wheels turn together,

(d) said gear anges being in the plane of the mentioned pinion gearwhereby upon pivotal movement of the control in either direction tobring the wheels into driving engagement with the snake element, one ofthe gear flanges will be engaged with and driven by said pinion.

5. In a plumbers snake device having a motor to rotate the exible snakeelement thereof and with a pistol grip to hold one end of the device,

(a) an extension frame xedly carried by said motor,

(b) a controller adjustably pivotally carried by said frame with apassage through which the snake element extends,

(c) a pair of drive wheels carried by the controller on opposite sidesof the snake element, said drive wheels being geared to rotate together,

(d) a gear train driven by said motor and terminating in a pinion gearthat has a geared connection with one or the other of said drive wheelsaccording to the adjusted angle of the controller, said drive wheelmoving the snake element in a feed or retractive direction according towhich drive wheel is driven by said pinion gear,

(e) and releasable detent means to retain the controller in angularlyadjusted position and releasable by the force imposed on one of thedrive wheels, when the snake element buckles during feed or retractivemovement, to move the controller to a non-driving position.

6. In a plumbers snake device provided with a rotational, flexible snakeelement,

(a) a driven gear train terminating in a pinion gear disposed alongsidesaid element,

(b) a controller housing mounted on a pivot to be manually movable in aplane parallel to the snake element, said housing having a passagethrough which the snake element extends,

(c) a pair of drive wheels on axes on opposite sides of the snakeelement, each wheel having a gear flange and said anges being in mesh sosaid wheels turn together,

(d) said gear anges being in the plane of the men tioned pinion gearwhereby upon pivotal movement of the control in either direction tobring the wheels into driving engagement with the snake element, one

5 6 of the gear llanges will be engaged with and driven the controllerhousing is disposed normal to the snake by said pinion, element. (e) andreleasable detent means to retain the control- 1er housing in setposition on its pivot and releasable References Cited by the Exammer bythe force imposed on one of the drive Wheels, 5 UNITED STATES PATENTSwhen the snake element buckles during longitudinal 1021917 12/37 Roland15 104 3 movement thereof, to move the controller to a non- 2,769,19111/56 Hunt et a1, 15 104 3 driving position. 2,926,775 3/60 oBrien15-104.3 XR

7. In a device according to claim 6, the drive Wheels being spaced fromthe snake to be clear thereof when 10 CHARLES A WILLMUTH, PrimaryExfml'nh

1. IN A PLUMBER''S SNAKE DEVICE HAVING A MOTOR TO ROTATE THE FLEXIBLESNAKE ELEMENT THEREOF AND WITH A PISTOL GRIP TO HOLD ONE END OF THEDEVICE, (A) AN EXTENSION FRAME FIXEDLY CARRIED BY SAID MOTOR, (B) ACONTROLLER ADJUSTABLY PIVOTALLY CARRIED BY SAID FRAME WITH A PASSAGETHROUGH WHICH THE SNAKE ELEMEMT EXTENDS, (C) A PAIR OF DRIVE WHEELSCARRIED BY THE CONTROLLER ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SNAKE ELEMENT, SAIDDRIVE WHEELS BEING GEARED TO ROTATE TOGETHER, AND (D) A GEAR TRAINDRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR AND TERMINATING IN A PINION GEAR THAT HAS A GEAREDCONNECTION WITH ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID DRIVE WHEELS ACCORDING TO THEADJUSTED ANGLE OF THE CONTROLLER, SAID DRIVE WHEEL MOVING THE SNAKEELEMENT IN A FEED OR RETRACTIVE DIRECTION ACCORDING TO WHICH DRIVE WHEELIS DRIVEN BY SAID PINION GEAR.